In 2022, ReMida developed the GREAT with Purpose Toolkit with the support of the Waste Authority. The toolkit aims to provide a comprehensive resource for individuals, groups, schools and organisations wanting to improve their reuse behaviours. There are currently two versions of the toolkit available on our website: the full version and an implementation guide. While the implementation guide is easier to navigate, its usability has still not hit the mark, and thus we are looking for help.
So What is it?
The GREAT with Purpose Toolkit represents the knowledge gained by ReMida across
its twenty-year history as a creative reuse centre, combined with elements from the Waste Avoidance and Recovery Strategy 20302 and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulations' (DWER) Be a GREAT Sort3 program. The work that led us here began in 2018 when ReMida secured funding for its Jellyfish Plastics project, supported through the Waste Authority's Community Industry and Engagement program. During the formation of Jellyfish Plastics and the first attempts at establishing community-based plastics repurposing hubs, we developed a body of work regarding the language of recycling and reuse, which we have added to over the last several years.
Experientially, ReMida knows that recycling is a crucial or foundational word that underlies a broad range of ideas linked to waste and waste behaviours. The community's growing desire is to improve its (collective) waste and recycling efforts, and recycling is often the first step on that journey. However, it is not the only step, and some actions, like Avoidance (a central focus of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030), alleviate the pressure on subsequent recycling processes. So, we have a keyword, recycling, that motivates people to action; however, it is one word with many connotations that sits within a much larger waste and reuse vocabulary.
Understandably, much of the language associated with waste and recycling is reactive, focusing on the point of disposal. Avoidance, which sits atop the waste hierarchy, is proactive, but most of the community's actions are reactive, focusing on options for disposal rather than prevention. Households and businesses have multiple threads of waste and recycling processes to follow, and even for the individual, there is much information to track and keep current. In response, the GREAT with Purpose Toolkit is a resource that helps you take those steps. Along the way, we outline the research and activities that informed our thinking and sparked a journey we know requires further effort.
How can I help?
To make the toolkit a practical and accessible resource, we need to know which parts people think are crucial for a simplified toolkit and which parts we hold as background information on either the website or a supporting guidebook.
To be involved, download a copy of the toolkit here https://www.remidawa.com/great-with-purpose. Grab a warm drink (in a non-disposable cup, of course) and have a read. What we are looking for is:
1. What stood out to you?
2. What did you find most helpful?
3. What would help you to apply the toolkit in your context?
ReMida will collect the feedback, redraft the toolkit, and then share it with everyone for any final thoughts, comments and revisions. You don’t necessarily need to read the complete toolkit to provide good feedback; reading one or two sections in detail and telling us what you think is just as valuable.
Keeping track of all the different waste and reuse processes is challenging, but it is also essential to help shape a positive future for our communities. We would love to see the toolkit become a resource that makes this process easier. Like most projects, we feel like we have taken the toolkit as far as we can without help, so here we are. If you have any questions, please email us at frontdesk@remidawa.com.
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